Finding someone to share the work on Carl was something Evan had been thinking about. Wells was chosen for three reasons: first, his ability to work is not bad, second, his temper is quite in line with Evan's appetite, and third, he is an immigrant, has no foundation in the United States, and yearns for stability, such a person is suitable and easy to become Evan's diehard. While promoting Wells, he will contribute to the company, and Evan does not have to worry about him suddenly changing jobs, as long as the company can continue to meet his needs.

That night, Evan spoke to Carl next door about his decision. Carl naturally didn't have any opinions, so he was greatly relieved.

Because of the ACAH, he hasn't taken a vacation for a long time.

Evan stayed at the company until ten o'clock, and the time was a little late, so he did not go back to school, but went to the "cabin in the woods" for the night.

To Evan's surprise, when he drove to the outside of the cabin in the woods, he found that the lights were on.

Evan and Bob glanced at each other, and Bob reasonably guessed: "It should be Miss Audrey in the house, it is impossible for an intruder to be so bold!"

Evan thought the same thing, but for the sake of safety, Evan didn't open the door directly and entered the house, but shouted outside the door.

"Audrey!"

"What? Evan, is that you?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Evan waved his hand at Bob and asked him to drive away by himself, then pushed the door in.

Evan came to the living room and saw Audrey in her pajamas sitting on the carpet with an open cardboard box in front of her, which contained palm-sized boxes with the word "Dial" printed on the cover.

Evan asked, "What is this?"

Audrey said, "Soap." ”

Evan squatted in front of the box, picked up a box and looked at it, and continued to ask, "What are you buying so much soap for?"

"That's enough for next year!"

Audrey gave Evan a blank look and said angrily, "Do I look so stupid!"

Evan pointed to the soap: "Then these are ......"

Audrey explained: "It was sent by Virginia, saying that she had won the lottery, and that there were two large boxes, so she gave us one box. ”

She also said that this is a new product with a sterilization function, which is claimed to remove the smell of sweat caused by sweat. ”

Evan touched the logo on the box and said, "No wonder, I said how I never saw the 'Dial' brand." ”

"What are you doing here?"

Evan asked, watching her take boxes of soap out of the box.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't be able to use it up in a year?" said Audrey, taking it, "so I took some to the dormitory and distributed them to the dormitories." ”

"Oh!" Evan nodded knowingly, then got up and walked to the bathroom: "Then you are busy, I'll take a shower." ”

"Wait a minute, help me put my clothes at the door. ”

Evan said without any surprise.

……

Two days later, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Johnson & Johnson headquarters.

A meeting is underway chaired by President Johnson II, and the meeting is full of content, including a response to the Band-Aid product.

At this time, Johnson & Johnson had just transformed from a family business to a public enterprise (it was only listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1944), and its products included surgical bandaging supplies, wound sutures, baby powder, sanitary napkins, and family planning products, and had not yet entered the pharmaceutical field.

Analyzing Johnson & Johnson's product line, it's easy to see why it's so sensitive to the little thing like a band-aid. Also a wound treatment product, Band-Aids can well complement the integrity of Johnson & Johnson's product line.

Halfway through the meeting, the Band-Aid item was put on the agenda.

The head of the product department first gave a briefing on Alex Hoffman's progress on the return of the West Coast when he heard ACAH's clear rejection of the acquisition, and a small discussion rang out in the conference room. When he heard that Hofmanti's terms of cooperation had been rejected again, the discussion suddenly became louder.

After the person in charge reported the conditions of the ACAH, someone immediately said: "Is this Carl joking?

Another chimed in: "Can't agree, absolutely can't agree." ”

"Band-aids are not technical, they are just a whim. I think we should continue to follow the imitation route and find a way to invalidate patents. ”

But some people disagree with this, "Imitation route is not advisable, we are now a listed company, and we need to consider the society's perception and image of the company." If it gets into a patent dispute or even a scandal, it will inevitably affect the company's market value. ”

"That's right, the goodwill of the company is important!"

"Then do you want to let the ACAH lion open his mouth?"

"I don't think it's a lion's mouth, it's just that the two sides have different opinions on the valuation. We should be glad that the other side didn't reject us directly, which means that there is still something to talk about, doesn't it?"

"That's right, as long as it's still at the negotiating table, it's possible for the two sides to reach a cooperation. ”

"The question now is whether ACAH is worth so much ......"

As soon as this question came up, the conference room suddenly fell silent, and everyone in the congregation looked at the president, who was sitting in the main seat without saying a word.

Don't look at everyone's arguing, but he has to be the one who can make this decision.

Unconcerned by the crowd's gaze, Johnson II looked at the head of the product department before making a decision and asked, "Does Alex Hoffman have any suggestions?"

The person in charge replied: "Hoffman had suggested that we talk about it again......"

"But...... This morning, he suddenly called back and asked us to finalize the cooperation immediately. ”

Johnson II said, "Oh, what about his reasons?"

"Hoffman said he saw people from Pfizer and American Cyanamid at the hotel......

Johnson II, who didn't react at all when he heard Pfizer's name, immediately changed his face when he heard "American cyanamide".

Pfizer, although powerful, focuses on the pharmaceutical field, which is different from Johnson & Johnson's area of expertise, so Johnson II is not afraid to compete with it.

But the American cyanamide company, founded in 1907, also has a product line that includes surgical products made of chemical fibers, and Johnson & Johnson is a head-to-head competitor in many products.

If the U.S. cyanamide gets a band-aid, it will definitely squeeze the market space of Johnson & Johnson's corresponding products.

Therefore, although someone whispered "Are Hoffman sure they are all going for ACAH?", Johnson II still clapped his head: "Inform Hoffman immediately and let him take ACAH." ”

On January 16, at ten o'clock in the morning, Hoffman and Karl clasped hands tightly, and both smiled with satisfaction and said to each other: "Happy cooperation!"

In another office, Deputy General Manager Lewis Walker was having a good conversation with a former Pfizer colleague.

As for the American cyanamide company, which makes Johnson & Johnson jealous, their people do not appear in ACAH.

At the same time, Layton called Evan from class to the lab, despite his still being in class, just to unpack what had been sent from Bell Labs.